The "Connected Autonomous-driving Fleet for Smart Mobility", developed by Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Tongji University and the University of Waterloo, has been selected for the 2021 SAIL award, according to local media reports.
This year is the fourth year the SAIL award has been given out since it was established in 2018. It promotes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to empower the digital transformation of cities as a starting point to deepen innovation and influence, and it continues to play a leading role in the field of AI .
This year's SAIL award attracted many outstanding projects at home and abroad, developed by leading companies including Huawei, Baidu, and Alibaba Group, as well as domestic and foreign academic research institutions including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tongji University, the University of Liverpool, and the University of Waterloo.
The Dongfeng project, jointly funded by Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone and Dongfeng Motor Corporation to the tune of 1 billion yuan ($155 million), focuses on the development of a fleet of autonomous driving taxis, dubbed "Robotaxis".
The project will gradually launch no less than 200 autonomous vehicles and special travel lines for Robotaxis, with stops set up at railway stations, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, universities, hospitals, government agencies, and major tourist spots including Yellow Crane Tower and Chu River Han Street.
This will facilitate Wuhan's quest to form a world-leading autonomous driving industry cluster.
